Till the End
by aneesha
Summary: The Marauders last day at school...and a little more....rr, please!


Till the End

Four boys sat in the room that had been their home for the past seven years- the room which, they all suddenly realized, would never house them again, not after tomorrow. Yes, the marauders sat in a shocked silence, aware for the first time that tomorrow, they would leave Hogwarts, and never come back. As they gazed around the room, the same things looked back at them- simple things to anyone else, but they held special meaning to the four inseparable friends- a testament of seven years of unwavering friendship, of good times, bad times- yes, each and every thing from discarded dung bombs to the ring which Prongs was to present to his flower that night- they came with memories that would be always treasured, never forgotten. Sirius stared at their beloved box of pranks- what good times those had been! Those carefree times of laughter, trouble, getting out of trouble…Professor McGonagall would never forget their excuses, that was for sure. Sighing, Sirius realized that their traditional, final prank at the feast that night would truly be their last as students, as the infamous Marauders of Hogwarts. He had never been one for sentimental moments, always preferring laughter- but this was one time that he could not think of a joke. His eyes shone brightly as he acknowledged, perhaps for the first time, that the best times of his life we over, as of tomorrow's train ride back home. 

Remus stared around the room, his eyes locking on a framed picture on one said of the wall- it had been one of the happiest times of his life. They had been at James' manor, for one of their spontaneous parties- charmed water balloons, cake, quidditch, and an ice cream buffet had made for an exceptional day- especially when the ice cream and cake had ended up all over them. They would have parties, surely, but they would never be the same. They could not afford to be the children they had been up till now- they were being forced to shoulder responsibility. James was getting married for Christ's sake, Peter was enrolled in a school in Albania, studying to be a professor, Sirius was off to Auror School with James…and Remus would begin his shunned adult life. They would be friends, best friends, forever, but these precious years- all too short, it seemed- had been a time of pure living, and they had now come to an end. Never again would their lives solely revolve around each other, and the occasional girl- Lily, Sirius' Sarena, his own Monica- they would begin separate lives, and it killed Remus to admit that it was quite possible that his only friends ever would quite possible drift away from him, leaving him almost as alone as he had been before he arrived at Hogwarts. 

Peter stared at nothing in particular, but his thoughts were everywhere. He tried to recall every single good time, all the pranks, all the celebrations for a task well accomplished- but his mind kept coming back to the three people in the room with him. His best friends. Sirius, James, and Remus- three people whom he was sure he'd die for, and they would do the same for him. He had shared ever aspect of his life with them- they had been his consolation, his confidence, everything. He wasn't entirely sure that he had fully comprehended the fact that they were LEAVING- that they would NEVER come back. He was still quite sure that come, September the first, the four best friends would once again meet at king's cross, ready for another full year of happiness, heartbreak, and all the magic that came with Hogwarts. And as he thought this very thought, it did finally sink in. This was the last night he would share this room with his friends. The prank at dinner tonight? His last at Hogwarts. Tomorrow night, he would sleep at home- but September 1st, he would not come back to this dorm. In fact, this dorm would not ever be THEIRS any longer- it would belong to the new first years, never again to bear the sign- The Marauders- Enter at Your Own Risk. He felt tears prick the corner of his eyes, but willed them not to fall.

James cast his mind out wildly for any thought that did not have to do with leaving- but all his thoughts were of Hogwarts, and they inevitable led back to the fact that after the feast tonight- the feast for only seventh years, where they would receive their diplomas, he would not be a Hogwarts student. He would never come back and compete with Sirius and Remus for most detentions accumulated. He would never serve another detention again. He and Lily would never again have one of their famous duels in the common room with all of Gryffindor watching. Tonight was it. Tomorrow was the last day of the best times of his life, he was sure of it. Of course there were things to look forward to- hopefully, a married life with Lily, with his friends being an integral part, a well paying job that he enjoyed, an all together fairy tale ending. Unfortunately, James was smarter than that- he knew that his carefree days were over- a new life was awaiting them all, and while he was certain that the Marauders would forever be just that, he knew, in the pit of his stomach, that their legacy would end at Hogwarts. Who cared about all that in the real world? But here, everything was perfect- with just the right amounts of ups and downs, and good things and bad things to help them grow into the people that they were now- and he couldn't believe that he was leaving this heaven, this paradise. For that's what it is, he realized- not your typical nothing-goes-wrong type of paradise, but one that was magical and special all on it's own. And they were leaving. All at once, he knew he couldn't, but desperately wanted to stay within the safe confines, for lately he had been having the strangest dream- and all he could remember was death and worse coming unto all those whom he held dear- and at seventeen, he was NOT ready to face it. Still, he had never been one to completely ignore what was to come- procrastinate, yes, but not ignore- and he was finally coming to terms with the fact that His Hogwarts days- his marauding days- his childhood- had come to an end.

The four boys were staring into space, thinking about each other, and trying not to think of the parting that would take place tomorrow at King's Cross, when James spoke softly, 

" I'm gonna miss this place."

Sirius was silent for a moment, but never far behind, he added, "and Hogwarts is going to miss us too."

Remus voiced what they had all been thinking, "But the people will be missed most of all."

There was silence, while all present acknowledged the fact- and then little Peter spoke up, "Things will be different, but we'll be friends till the end."

The Marauders silently agreed- friends till the end.

* * * *

__

November 1st, 1981

Sirius Black glared at Peter Pettigrew- once one of his best friends, now his only enemy.

"You BASTARD! Friends till the end, Pettigrew, remember?! FRIENDS TILL THE END! Is this how you remain friends?! Killing James? Lily? ORPHANING HARRY?!"

For the slightest moment, Peter looked at Sirius shame-faced, remembering his promise of eternal friendship- but then, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Padfoot."

Then he screamed at the top of his lungs, "Lily and James Sirius! How could you?" and left Sirius staring in wonder at the spot the little rat had been standing just a moment ago. 

Remus stared into space- two friends dead, one imprisoned, without a trial, for the deaths of both. Tears welled up in Remus' eyes, as he recalled that day, in another lifetime, when they had vowed- "Friends till the end."


End file.
